Yiannis Kassetas New York Sessions Presents – East N Blues

March 18, 2014

East N Blues contains 12 tracks composed by Kassetas which were recorded in New York by him and mainly American Jazz musicians. Early on from 2007 and his debut in Puzzlemusik (The Truth About The Alien Invasion In Egypt) Yiannis Kassetas showed that he is a jazz composer who follows the developing international jazz scene. After seven years and four albums it is no exaggeration to say that he is an accomplished composer of international standards.
The musicians who took part in East N Blues are the (twice Grammy prize-winner) drummer Ulysses Owens Jr, the up and coming jazz pianist, Adam Birnbaum from New York, Tatum Greenbalt, the trumpet player (noted by Wynton Marsalis as one of the best trumpet players of his generation), and of course Miles Griffith maybe the most imaginative jazz vocalist of the 90’s generation, from which he sprung up.
Apostolos Sideris, the double bass player, (a Greek musician who lives and works successfully outside Greece) adds up to these dream-team of musicians.
In three of the songs the charismatic Antonis Andreou (Pink Martini session musician) has contributed by playing the trombone.
Kassetas in his new work leaves behind the avant-garde jazz from previous years and the sound from his previous album with drummer George Spanos (Jungle of Illusions , Puzzlemusik, PIECE 019) in favour of a return-to-form album.
The funk elements which were dominant in his previous albums have given way to an eastern scent in some of his compositions (Istanblues, Eastern Funk Attack) or to Blues elements as in the amazing “Dive Jazz” (the only song in the album), for which Miles Griffith wrote the lyrics.
The album was recorded in Lofish Studios, in Manhattan, New York, with Reed Taylor as a sound recorder, apart from the trombone parts, played by Antonis Andreou, which were overdubbed at Lizard Sound Studios (Athens) by Dimitris Karpouzas.
Mixing and mastering took place at Artracks Studios (Athens) by Alex Bolpasis and George Priniotakis.